Jack Hoogendyk hints at challenge to Fred Upton: Tea Party members are recruiting the conservative Republican

Jack HoogendykKALAMAZOO — Jack Hoogendyk, a conservative Republican activist and former state representative from Texas Township, is testing the political waters for a potential August primary challenge to U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph.

Riding the tails of a national backlash against Congressional incumbents, Hoogendyk claims in an e-mail to potential supporters that Upton has “lost touch with the wishes of his constituents who are demanding fiscal responsibility.”

Two years ago, Hoogendyk unsuccessfully took on another incumbent, Democrat U.S. Sen. Carl Levin. Hoogendyk garnered about 34 percent of the vote statewide.

Fred Upton“Fred is always prepared and takes nothing for granted, but right now he is focused on jobs and finding solutions for Michigan's families," Liz Garey, Upton's campaign manager, said of a potential challenge from Hoogendyk.

Earlier this year, when Hoogendyk spoke at some events sponsored by the Portage-based Southwest Michigan Tea Party Patriots, he sidestepped questions about whether he might challenge Upton.

In his e-mail blast this week, Hoogendyk criticized Upton for voting for four federal spending bills totaling more than $1.1 trillion.

They included the $700 billion bank-bailout bill passed during the Bush administration, and an Obama administration expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. Hoogendyk also targeted Upton for being one of 16 Republican House members to vote for a massive, 2010 omnibus spending bill.

Touting his “no tax increases” voting record in the Michigan House, Hoogendyk said he would offer a “demonstrated commitment to fiscal accountability and constitutional conservatism” as a potential congressional challenger.

The chance of a Republican primary race in the Sixth Congressional district pleases Gene Clem, president of Southwest Michigan Tea Party Patriots.

“We have many people in the Tea Party movement who have been working on him (Hoogendyk) for four months to get him to declare,” Clem said. “He’s the perfect kind of person to send to Washington because he doesn’t want to go.”No endorsements

Clem said the group will not endorse any candidates — Republican or Democrat — for state or national races. Instead, he said the group will assess candidates’ stances on issues like government spending and adherence to Constitutional principles, then issue a grade to each contender.

But Clem acknowledges some in his group are critical of Upton for “favoring big-government spending.”

“On issues like that, Jack would probably get a grade of 90 and Fred maybe something like a 70,” Clem said. “We’d just really like to see there be a race.”

No names of potential Democratic opponents to Upton have surfaced thus far.

Challenging the 12-term incumbent would be a formidable task in either the primary or general election. Upton, who is considered a centrist Republican, has good name recognition and a campaign war chest that exceeds $1 million.

But incumbency is expected to add political baggage for candidates from both political parties in the 2010 midterm elections.

Upton garnered 59 percent of the vote in his 2008 win. However, in each of the past three elections, his margin of victories have declined, down 10 percentage points from his 2002 win.